Stay
by Dzuljeta
Summary: After a month of travelling with the Doctor, Rose wishes to go to her mother. However, she appears to have caught some strange illness during their adventures, and the Doctor ends up convincing her to stay with him.
1. Stay: Chapter One

_A/N. This story was primarily intended to be one-shot (who am I trying to fool, so was my other DW one. Ooops… :D While _Stay_ is not actually related to _Stuck_, the similarity of the titles is intentional. :) There should be another similarly titled story posted someday, too. The only thing connecting them is the fact most of the action is taking place in the TARDIS. Oh, and some other things. Maybe. :)_

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**Stay: Chapter One**

"I want to go see Mum," Rose spoke quietly, almost ashamed of her words. It was as if she was seven again. "I miss her."

The Doctor and his companion have been travelling for almost a month now, and the girl was feeling… tired. "I guess I just need to have some quiet time with Mum and friends… at home. To have some rest from all the running and jumping."

The Doctor tensed. Something was not right. "Some rest, you say?" She appeared all jumpy and overexcited about their upcoming adventure but two minutes ago.

"Not from _you_, Doctor. _Never from you_. It's just-" Rose leant against the wall, making the TARDIS buzz worriedly.

"I wasn't asking for _your _opinion," the man muttered, addressing the time and space ship. The Time Lord was unsure what was wrong with the human. It must have been something sudden… and oh how he hated not being able to recognise the problem at once.

"Look at me, Rose." She obeyed.

"You don't need to worry," she said, her eyes mocking. Rose did not want the Doctor to see she was happy to have him care about her. "Just take me home, please?"

"Not until I am sure you are fine," the Doctor shook his head. There had to be a reason for her unexpected weariness… and apparent lack of strength.

"But I _am _fine! Just a little tired."

The Time Lord tried to assure himself he was probably just panicking with no reason. It didn't work. He was terrified of what it might actually be. So terrified, that he was ready to risk everything. His Rose… she had never really fallen ill before, not when with him... He had been sure to take all the necessary precautions in every planet they went to, and still…

"Come here, Rose," he took her by the hand, leading the girl to the infirmary. "It shouldn't take long." The distrusting smile she gave him did not help. "You'll take me home afterwards, won't you?"

"Probably. For now, just stay still," he asked with a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. Taking her home, in such a state, was out of the question.

Rose froze, suddenly aware of the fact he was staring at her.

"What is it?"

"Oh… an alien infection, nothing too grave, really." Then the Doctor realised she wasn't referring to the supposed illness. "I was just-" _Being rude and staring at you._

"It's most likely an infection you must have caught on Jh-"

_I knew it was a bad idea to land there._ "Not grave, you said…" Rose interrupted, determined. "You _can_ take me home. You should. I really need to see Mum… I'm sure she could heal me just as well… she must have her own ways, or- or something…"

The Tyler girl was out of breath before she could think of something more convincing to say. Apparently, the _infection_ has somehow weakened her ability to formulate fluent sentences... her thoughts were kind of messed up as well.

But she was not going to let him know any of it.

The blonde companion was partly expecting to have him grimace at her, but the Doctor only gave her a worried look, choosing to ignore her words. Jackie would have loved hearing her Rose saying such things about her. And a small part of his mind could not dismiss the possibility that she was tired of travelling with him… But the Time Lord shook his head at the thought, allowing his common sense win over pointless doubts.

"Well… by saying that it was not too grave, I meant-" the Doctor was trying to think of a reason sufficient to prevent Rose from leaving. There was just this thing, he really was very bad at lying. Especially with the companion by his side. "There _shouldn't_ be any grave complications … but if you choose to leave the protective ground my TARDIS is, I won't be able to guarantee your safety any longer."

"I feel perfectly fine now," the girl glared at him, feeling almost guilty about having said it. "I could just-"

Her 'perfectly fine' actually sounded more like 'I'm way too tired to think straight'. The Time Lord knew he had to keep an eye on her. Especially since Rose was a human – humanity was not immune to… basically everything. With the TARDIS close by, the Gallifreyan was assured he had taken all of the precautions needed to have the companion safe and sound no matter what dangers around them… but these things were of no importance now.

Now he had to ruin her hopes

"I'm so sorry, Rose. I can't allow you to leave. I feel responsible for you." The Doctor remembered her almost-falling. While it was possible this meant nothing, it could equally have suggested complications the Time Lord was unwilling to consider. He _had _to make sure she was all right, knowing exactly what kind of dangers could be waiting for the human if he failed to assure her. "Stay."

"Why?" She could see in the Doctor's eyes he hadn't meant the request to sound so rude.

"I am really worried about you, Rose. Your well-being, your safety, your health-"

"So would be my Mum," she rolled her eyes.

"But it's not safe for you to go anywhere!" He was truly starting to panic.

"Doctor… what difference does it make if I stay in my room at home or if I stay in my room here in the TARDIS? I'd be ill anyway…" Ill or not, she still managed to keep some of her logical thinking intact.

"Please..."

The young woman understood he only wanted the best for her, but that was not a reason good enough. "Why are you so persistent I stay, Doctor?" She still could not see why he was against bringing her home.

The Time Lord could not lie to her… still, the Gallifreyan was unable to word what he knew he had to. What escaped his lips seemed close enough.

"Because I _care_, Rose."

"Mum cares about me too," the girl noted bitterly. Her tiredness seemed to have increased immensely, coming up to the point of exhaustion. It was obvious to both of them that it really would be a mistake for the girl to leave now. The realisation has only made Rose more disgruntled. "Do me a favour and just shut up, Doctor."

Her words have almost equalled the effect of a slap, making the Time Lord inhale sharply. Nevertheless, he decided to ignore her bitter words… Rose was not well. Tired, upset and wishing for impossible things.

"Just listen to me."

"What else do you have to say? That you are sure you'll find the means to cure this annoying illness any minute now?"

That _was_ what he had intended to tell her... But some situations required extreme measures.

"Rose Tyler…" she froze, having heard her name uttered in such a way – what was it? _Desperate?_ Desperate indeed. "I _beg_ of you. Don't go, Rose…"

This was something serious. Too serious to even think about teasing the Doctor about it. The blonde took a deep breath and allowed a small smile escape her lips.

Rose knew everyone had their bad days… apparently, hers coincided with his this time. Or was it some tactics he was employing? She pushed the unlikely assumption away, having met the hopeful look in his warm brown eyes.

The Doctor has always been ready to grant her anything she wanted. Who was she to deny him one of the few requests he had? Besides, Rose _was_ feeling ill, not to mention exhausted, and she knew without his saying that the Time Lord would do anything to make her feel well soon again.

"O-okay… If you say so," she smirked, for a moment forgetting her pitiful state. "Give me some sleeping pills, for a start…" As if she needed any of those.

"Does this mean you're staying?" The Gallifreyan could not quite believe it.

Rose shrugged, no apparent annoyance seen on her face. "I have no choice now, do I, Doctor? But you better make sure I get better soon! I still need to meet Mum, you know…"

"It's for your own good," he assured. "Oh, and thank you," the Doctor grinned at her, no traces of the previously heard tone in his voice. "We'll see if the symptoms pass tomorrow," he gave her a wink which was ignored completely.

She really couldn't see anything. Maybe someday, he'll tell her. But not today.

Rose shrugged. There were things she wanted to talk to him about. She would. Maybe tomorrow…

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_A/N. I have so many opportunities in front of me at the moment! –evil face- What are Rose and the Doctor going to talk about, if they do? When? Will she get better soon, or will there be complications? Will the TARDIS take Rose to Jackie as soon as she gets better? _

_What do you think? Your thoughts and opinions are always welcome__! _


	2. Stay: Chapter Two

_A/N. Cute, you say? :) That's a good thing, yes? Thank you for your reviews, follows and favourites. This means a lot__! :)_

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**Stay: Chapter Two**

All the plans were crushed by a tired sigh coming from Rose's lips. "Are you going to give me something?" Her voice was nearly pleading, yet the Doctor believed he could still trace some joy in her words.

"Even though you believe it to be the best decision, I really don't think you need any kind of sleeping pills, Rose…"

"Of course not," the blonde did not object. The idea had only occurred to her for a mere moment. Pills, even those she had been forced to take – those easing her unbearable headaches, for example – was always the very last alternative. "I hope you'll come up with some brilliant idea while I am asleep," Rose spoke quietly, trusting the Doctor no matter what.

The Time Lord nodded at her with an assuring smile. "Of course I will! You go and dream about coming home to your mother," he winked at her. If that was what Rose wanted, she deserved all the possibilities she could get, real or not. He couldn't lie to himself – meeting Jackie in real life was never a truly pleasant experience for him.

Rose shook her head, smiling back at him knowingly. "Doctor… you cannot be meaning this."

"Why not?"

Rose shook his question away. She knew better. "I'll just go now, 'kay? Please… please, think of something!" At that moment, finally falling asleep was all she wanted.

"Be sure, Rose, I will! And you'll be well in no time." The Doctor certainly _hoped_ she will. However, it did not look like it. Those small infections tended to have horrific side effects. If tiredness was the worst part of it for Rose, he knew she should consider herself lucky…

"Calm down. Try to avoid thinking." Hearing Rose sigh desperately, he shrugged. "Or, if you cannot… think about something pleasant. I'm sure you'll manage."

"I'll try." The blonde sent the Doctor a hopeful look, although she doubted these simple steps were going to work.

"See you in the morning?" The Time Lord grinned at her, assurance in his eyes.

"Um… Yeah, I guess," she gave him an uncertain smile and left, soon to disappear in her room. The Doctor assumed the girl was too exhausted to notice her chamber was now moved closer, so that the young human could reach the room in no time. Not many past companions of his were ever awarded with such a positive approach from the TARDIS.

"You really like her, don't you?"

The ship buzzed incoherently.

The Doctor grimaced. "I know what you're thinking, old girl. Just… stop it right here." Sometimes the Gallifreyan really wished his ship did not know him so well.

But this wasn't the right time to contemplate any of it. He needed to look through the results the TARDIS was quick enough to place right in front of him... But instead of some diagrams or scientific results he read a name. "Jacqueline Tyler."

_What are you implying? _

A bleep from the TARDIS suggested the Doctor had to figure the implication on his own.

And, with unsurprising speed, he did. _Jackie, TARDIS, Jackie, TARDIS, Jackie… __Rose! _Her mother had to at least know about the risky situation Rose was in. The Doctor shuddered, but began dialing the number almost immediately.

"Rose! What have I done to earn your call? At this hour?" Jackie spoke too quickly for the Doctor to interrupt. He should have thought better before deciding to call her.

"Jackie, it's me."

"You. Who else would be crazy enough to call in the middle of the night?" Jackie did not attempt to hide her annoyance. "For a Time Lord, I think that's the name you use, right? – this is quite a terrible miscalculation," she spoke with mockery in her voice.

It was clear to the said Time Lord he had not woken the mother up – it seemed she had been waiting for something, or was simply unable to fall asleep. The Doctor said nothing, however. He did not allow himself forget the sole purpose of the call.

It seemed Jackie knew something was wrong. Terribly so. "Where's Rose?"

"She's asleep, and I would prefer if you did not wake her up."

"Of course she's asleep, it's half past three in the morning! In fact, you're just lucky I couldn't sleep!"

Jackie and her shrieking… "Turn the volume down," the Doctor became disgruntled. When it came to Rose, he was quick to lose his temper. Especially when something was apparently wrong with her.

"Of course, right…" Jackie attempted, albeit not with much success, to lower her voice. "What's the matter? This unexpected call has something to do with my daughter, I assume?" She knew the Doctor would avoid her at all costs if there wasn't trouble.

As the alien appeared to be wording his answer, the mother blanched, her head suddenly filled with horrifying ideas. "What have you done to her?!"

The Doctor sighed tiredly. "Just listen to me." The silence on the other end meant the woman _was_ listening.

"Good. The thing is… Rose doesn't feel well. She really wishes to see you, but-" _In fact, she had sounded absolutely desperate… _but Jackie did not need to know this.

"But? Just bring her to me!"

"I can't. _She_ can't leave the TARDIS."

"Of course she can!" Jackie was becoming hysterical once again. No matter of what species the alien was, he was _not_ going to stop Rose from seeing her!

"Jackie." The Doctor's voice suddenly became deadly cold and terrifying. "I really _am_ sorry, but… for all I know, one step outside the ship could _kill_ her! I cannot allow her move away from the TARDIS. Do you understand?" It required a great deal of concentration from the Gallifreyan to not show his panic. Anger seemed to mask it fairly well.

Rose's mother tried to. "No, I don't," she admitted, fear colouring her words. "You have promised to keep her safe. Multiple times. Just tell me, Doctor… will you save her?"

The Time Lord had no chance to reply, his attention now turned to the familiar blonde coming up to him. The sight of dishevelled Rose made him grin wildly at her. However, her words wiped the wide smile away from his face at once.

"Doctor?" a painful whisper came his way. "I can't sleep. Have tried everything – pleasant thoughts, then what appeared like no thoughts... I tried relaxing, remembering as many pleasant things as I could… even tried counting sheep, for god's sake! But nothing helps." It seemed the girl was feeling guilty to have come to him with such a tiny annoying problem.

The Gallifreyan could feel a renewed wave of panic coming back to him with double force. Rose's well-being was all that mattered. And the illness, whatever had caused it, had to be cured. The fact his companion could not sleep was complicating things. Good night's sleep was essential for every human, and especially to one that needed healing…

"Come here, Rose… Talk to your mother," he handed the mobile to her. "I will think of something, I promise," the Doctor watched the young Tyler put the phone to her ear with strange determination. He hoped hearing Jackie speak to her would have some positive effect on Rose.

"Mum. Why are you calling? At this time of night?"

The Doctor did not interrupt the conversation, his eyes asking of Rose to turn the speaker on, which she did without a shrug.

"The Doctor called me. He's worried about your health," Jackie shrugged.

"I'm tired, that's all." Rose glared at the Time Lord, who pretended to be oblivious to whatever was happening. "He's been kind of unquiet these days."

The alien glared back at her, mouthing the word to her, incredulous. _Unquiet? _

"He's not telling you everything, I assume…"

For a painfully long moment, the Gallifreyan was considering grabbing the mobile out of Rose's hands and smashing it to pieces.

"I think I have just come up with a perfect way to put you to sleep, Rose!" The Doctor's glee neither seemed nor sounded natural, but Jackie got the idea. "He's right, darling. You should go to bed and have some proper rest… I could do with some myself," she spoke assuringly. "I hope to see you again as soon as you feel better!"

The companion seemed perplexed. "Me too. I love you, Mum." She hung up without saying goodbye.

"So soon? I thought you'd want to talk to her for a longer period of time, considering-"

"What?"

"That you can't go see her."

"I have promised you to stay, haven't I?" The blonde gave him a tired smile.

"Just until you feel well again, yes…" The Time Lord felt he should assure Rose she was free to go home as soon as the irksome condition was gone completely...

She shrugged, uncomfortable. "I'm still waiting for the perfect way – any way – to make me fall asleep…"

The Doctor hoped the look he sent his beautiful Rose wasn't as helpless as he imagined. Suddenly, the absurdity of the idea that had seemed a possibility minutes ago struck him. Still, there was nothing wrong in trying…

"Well… What about- what about a lullaby?"

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_A/N. There you have it…What do you think? :)_


	3. Stay: Chapter Three

_A/N. Thank you for your reviews, favourites and follows__! Let's add some mess to the story, shall we? :)_

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**Stay: Chapter Three**

Rose blinked in confusion, unsure if she should laugh or glare at him. "Are you kidding me?" She could understand the Doctor was much older than she was, but this was a little too much.

"No, I mean it!" For a brief moment, the Time Lord wondered if he should be aggrieved, but very soon he realised it had been Rose who could very possibly see his offer as a jest.

"One of the _sleep little baby, don't you cry _kind of lullabies?" The human saw the determination in his eyes and was suddenly overcome with sincere gratitude, refusing – or, more likely, unable - to spare any additional thought about this. Even something as plain as thinking was requiring an enormous amount of concentration from her. Rose was happy the Doctor did not seem to have noticed.

"That one … the lullaby, I mean – it might work," he agreed. "But I intend on giving you something a little different."

"Anything, Doctor." _And as soon as possible… _He really, truly cared about her, she could see it. That was the best thing the girl could have hoped for at that moment, so Rose smiled at him.

"Let's get you to your room first, shall we?"

Rose followed his orders without thinking. She knew he was ready to do anything for her. "Sorry for being such a burden," the blonde muttered, as the Doctor led her to her bed. The matter of possibly interrupting Rose's privacy did not once cross his mind... nor hers.

"Lie down and close your eyes," the Time Lord suggested, pressing her hand. "We need you to be well soon…" _So we must take desperate measures._

She complied. "You sound just like a proper doctor," Rose muttered, a small smile on her face.

"Just one less frightening?" He winked at her, although knowing she could not have seen it.

"The first actually singing lullabies to me, that's for sure," she muttered gleefully, her eyes still closed.

"Hush, now," the Gallifreyan whispered at her, before beginning to sing. And so, he sang. Softly, assuringly… Sang only to her.

"NO!" His blonde companion opened her eyes wide, dread seen all over her face._ Lullabies are not supposed to hurt._

"Rose?"

She spoke quietly. "I don't think I'd be able to fall asleep tonight. Not after this."

"Why? Does my voice make you feel uncomfortable?" He cringed, clearly not used to even attempting to consider such a possibility.

"No. On the contrary, but it certainly doesn't help." Speaking was weakening her by the second, but Rose was determined to find out the reason. The reason why…

"Right, sorry…" The Time Lord was puzzled enough by this.

"You _should_ be sorry," Rose muttered sleepily. "Singing about such things…"

The Doctor was suddenly aghast. This wasn't possible. Could not be. "What- what kind of things?"

The companion ignored the question. "Why would you think _this_ would help me fall asleep?" She shuddered, the remnants of her sleepiness now gone completely. The fatigue was still there, but her hopes of actually falling asleep seemed to have been shattered. Her voice was harsh, and she didn't care. "Why wouldn't you pick something less gloomy? Instead you sing to me about war? About sorrow?" Each word Rose uttered terrified the Gallifreyan more and more.

"I'm sorry, Rose. So, so sorry!" This was all the Doctor could say, never looking away from the blonde human. "How do you feel, Rose?"

"Awake." The girl wondered for a moment if she could word her feelings properly and decided against it.

The Time Lord could but stare at her, not realising he had taken her hand into his.

"But I at least had been sleepy before you began with this _lullaby_…" Meeting his apologetic look, both uncomfortable and sorrowful, the blonde blanched. "No, I think you shouldn't… don't tell me you're sorry," Rose was glad the Doctor had taken her hand. He did not deserve any of this. Even if the girl was sure the truly detailed lyrics of the song were going to give her nightmares – if she were able to fall asleep after all – she only gave the Time Lord an assuring look. "It's all right."

Whatever was happening to her… to his Rose… it was far from all right. "I'm not entirely sure about it, Rose."

_This_ was a problem. "Firstly, this was a perfectly innocent song. Secondly, you are not supposed to know Gallifreyan." The Doctor was completely terrified. He had no idea what was happening to her. Either the infection had some unexpected effects on Rose or something else was wrong. Completely wrong.

Rose shuddered. If that had really been an "innocent song," as the Doctor put it, she did not want to know what the war songs were like. The Doctor composed himself, even managing to send her a friendly smirk. Rose did not have to see his unease.

Apparently, the human girl did not wish the Time Lord to see hers. "I take it was an unintentional choice of a song, Doctor. Maybe it's a part of your culture, or something. It's all right," she repeated tiredly.

"You refuse to talk to your mother. Something keeps you from falling asleep. You understand a language not even the TARDIS ever translates."

"_Your_ language, Doctor," Rose pointed out sleepily. Too bad they both knew this state was but an illusion.

"Yes! And I have no idea what's wrong with you!" Or maybe with the TARDIS' shields. Or was all of this the effect of whatever had happened to Rose? It was partly his fault, anyway – the human should not have been more than five metres away from him. But for all he knew, she never was. He had strictly forbidden for her to move any further… and yet.

The companion smiled at him sadly. "Maybe you care about me a little bit too much, Doctor."

He shrugged, smiling. Of course, he cared about her. More than very much. More than _too much… _But, no matter the extent of his caring. Right now, Rose needed rest.

"Do you want me to sing any lullaby of those you like, Rose?"

The girl but eyed him with distrust.

"Any song in particular?"

"As long as it would make me fall asleep, Doctor."

"Yes, of course. Of course. Absolutely." His choice of a song might have been questionable. Some of the lyrics might have been, as well. Nevertheless, he did not even get a chance to finish the song, as Rose was sound asleep by the time the song was almost over.

"_Night breezes seem to whisper, "I love you"… _There she was, asleep like a baby, and the Doctor stopped immediately, suddenly uncertain.

"Rose…" the Doctor mouthed her name, watching her with admiration. _I wonder if you know what you're doing to me. Rose Tyler._

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Forgetting himself, the Time Lord seemed to have been lost in thought. What did Rose need the most? To get well again, obviously - which meant she needed sleep – a lot of it - he'd work on that, as soon as he can, what about now… water, humans needed water AND sleep for their survival, which was what he needed Rose for... to survive, certainly, because…

Not now. Now he needed to concentrate. On something more important than Rose's flawless features before his eyes. Rose, sleeping.

He needed to fetch her some water. Then, he could run the scans. Without having to look her body over for cuts. Wounds. Biting marks… hopefully not.

The Doctor was once again hit with realisation that he had _no_ idea. Still, not an inkling what was wrong with Rose. And he could _not_ take some of the steps that would certainly help in at least finding the problem. Not without her conscious knowledge, never…

Right. Water first. Everything else later.

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_A/N. Your opinions are always welcome! :3_


	4. Stay: Chapter Four

_A/N. Hello, thank you for reading, favouriting, following, and reviewing (I thank you immensely, every review (got only one the last time :( too much of –cute-, too plain, perhaps? :( ) means very much to me, considering the 'soft and sweet' path I'm seemingly taking with this story). As this chapter is slightly different from the previous ones, I hope you will find some time to let me know your opinions. ;)_

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**Stay: Chapter Four**

The first thing the Doctor saw having re-entered Rose's room with a glass of water in his hands was a sad smile on her face... and her bright hazel eyes, wide open.

He pushed away the desperate sigh about to have escaped his lips. Nothing seemed to work, not even the singing, the effect supposedly heightened with the help from the TARDIS…

"Why… how comes you're not sleeping, Rose?"

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered, meeting the sad look in the Time Lord's eyes. She knew she should not feel guilty about things beyond her control, but could not help herself. "It doesn't work this way, Doctor. Something keeps preventing me from falling asleep, and there's nothing I can do…"

The Doctor sat down beside her, desperation visible on his face.

"This has nothing to do with you. Stop blaming yourself." Her quiet voice reminded the Time Lord he needed to be more careful with what he chose and didn't choose to show Rose. The girl, as if sensing his unease, gave him a way out of sorts. "Could it be because you haven't actually finished the song?" she smiled at him.

The Doctor could not help but gave her a searching look. Fatigued, possibly. Exhausted. Overtaken by heavens know what… but so much like herself, his Rose. He chose to shrug at this. In no way was he going to give in to her flirting.

"I thought you were sleeping by then," the Time Lord tried to reason with her, pushing away the wish to retort with some playful remark.

"I might have been… but the song was beautiful, you should have completed it," she smiled at him hopefully.

"You enjoyed it, then?" he asked, carefully, hoping this small talk would make Rose forget what he knew she had seen in his eyes moments ago.

"I did. Would love to fall asleep to this tune every night." No, the flirty tone was far from gone from her voice… albeit clearly unintended.

"Right… I'm sure the TARDIS could do something about it," the Doctor sent her a wink.

"Nope," Rose shook her head. "Doesn't work this way," she repeated, almost persistently.

The Time Lord eyed her, curious. "Do you know something I don't?"

The Doctor smiled at her softly, when she didn't respond. This was no time for games. "Here, have some water," he handed her the glass. "Water is good for your health."

"It sure is," she agreed, taking the glass from him and gulping down the contents at once. "Just water, yeah?"

"As far as I know," he grinned. "Anyway… Do you feel well enough to go through a proper health check?" The Doctor could not leave it like that. He could see Rose still seemed terribly tired.

"Wanted to set up the medical room for running some proper analysis over your infection, but-"

"But you have not, because you knew I would not approve," she finished.

The alien nodded. "We'll- you will have to go through a proper check soon, anyway."

"I know… But, is it only an impression I keep getting or are you deliberately delaying the procedure?" The playfulness was not gone anywhere, only this time it was possible to hear worry in her words as well.

The Doctor was by her side in a moment. "Yes and no," he shrugged, holding her hand.

Rose sighed. "What exactly-" She believed to have known the answer. "Doesn't matter," the blonde smiled sheepishly at him. "Could we just go through it right now, before it gets worse?"

"Yes. Of course. Certainly. Obviously." The Doctor wasn't looking at her, barely noticing where he was leading her. Eventually, they ended up in one of the rooms Rose had never seen before.

The Time Lord raised his hands in resignation to the TARDIS leading them anywhere but to the right places. _Fine. You win._

Against his hopes, the ship thought it best for them to remain where they were. Running, or another amount of extensive walking, did not even cross the Doctor's mind.

Rose has certainly deserved all he could give her, and more.

_More_, or the easiest way.

The blonde companion looked around the room curiously. "This doesn't look like a place suitable for-"

"Who says anything about the medical bay?" the Doctor smirked at her, wishing to take down her tension. "It's my room."

Rose looked at him with disbelief in her eyes, but said nothing.

"Usually, I ask for permission…"

"Okay…" she bit her lip.

"But right now I'm only asking for understanding and forgiveness," the Doctor's voice was barely audible.

The girl did not get the chance to but say a word, as the cold lips touched hers. A small part of her mind was against responding to the softest of touches… but that part of mind was never heard.

Rose only realised what had happened when the Doctor retreated, a shameless grin on his face.

"Thank you, Rose." What the kiss – quite different from what he had originally intended – revealed to him was something he had never considered before.

The companion was but staring at him, incredulous. She might not have known a lot about the Doctor, his species or traditions… But kissing her, even more, kissing her like _that_ had been unacceptable, to say the least.

_Incredible. Amazing. Brilliant. Promising! _It took some precious moments for the young Tyler to find the strength in herself to silence the rejoicing. After all, this required explaining. Right now. It did not matter she was not thoroughly sensible, both because of the unexpected gesture from the Gallifreyan, and because of other, more credible reasons. She was again, yet, still terribly exhausted.

"Cheating," Rose muttered, turning her face away from his as much as she could, aware the Time Lord, his arms around her waist, was keeping her from slumping onto the floor.

"I'm sorry?" He was not _sorry_, the blonde was certain of it. The Doctor's eyes were sparkling. What was that, another trick of his or a trick of her mind? No, it can't have been…

"This is called _cheating_." Rose repeated, able to feel angry tears forming in her eyes. This was never supposed to happen like that. It did not mean she had not secretly been dreaming about something as impossible as them kissing eventually, but…

"No… Not at all," the Doctor was puzzled. "I don't-"

The companion took a deep breath, trying to compose herself before reacting.

"No, you _don't_," Rose whispered, pushing a treacherous strand of hair away from her face, yet remaining steadily locked in his firm embrace. "You _don't_ make use of your companions in the worst of situations. I'm sure this had some crucial reason," irony was dripping from her words. Her recent playfulness was gone, an audible mixture of pain and anger heard in her voice.

"It had a reason," he spoke softly, turning her head back to him. "I have found the cause of your illness."

"Have you, now?"

"Yep."

Rose ignored him. "What about_ my_ feelings, though? Is this normal for you?"

Everything was so confusing. Why was she cross with him? Has he stepped over some limit?

Most importantly, would she wish to leave him now? After this, when he finally knew – believed he did – the incredible reason of her illness? The Time Lord ran his hand through his hair in desperation. No, he had to remain calm.

"Don't be angry. Please, just don't be angry with me." The Doctor whispered. "I _had_ to kiss you." _Needed to. Wanted to. Chose to._

Apparently, the alien did not feel like talking about it, and the last thing Rose needed was to begin a pointless quarrel. That would have only got both of them upset, anyway…

"I'm sorry. I need some proper rest. Can't think properly," Rose pushed him away gently, only to be caught by the panicked Time Lord a moment later. If such were the side-effects of a simple – _not simple at all_ – entrance into her personal space, things could become worse.

"You're staying here." Other than the TARDIS' main place for anything medical, the Doctor's room was the next best place for him to look after her. "No analysis will be needed, I'm fairly certain of what is wrong with you. As I have said, an infection of sorts."

Rose did not object. "I need to know, Doctor. Why can't I sleep? For how long will it have to be like this?"

_I wish I knew. My Rose_.

The Gallifreyan turned his look upwards, as if unwilling to talk about it. "You need to get over this on your own, dearest. I'm so, so sorry."

"Over what?" _Dearest?_

"You cannot remain as you were, Rose. It's impossible to undo the changes within you."

"What-"

"Your body is trying to readjust itself to the changes. I'm sorry, so sorry!"

_What?_

The Doctor wrapped his arms around his blonde companion reassuringly, feeling she'd fall if he weren't holding her. "The TARDIS, the safe, all-knowing and completely trustworthy friend of ours, has taken her own measures in protecting you."

* * *

_A/N. Had you guessed it already?_


End file.
